A/N: Thanks to those of you interested, following, reading, reviewing! This chapter is kind of a way to ease you into the idea of maybe me moving the rating up. I may move it to M. If you have an opinion let me know!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Vampire Diaries.


Damon POV

Pacing nervously, waiting for the doctor to start the paper work to clear Elena to go home. Damon's anxious to get back to the room. Sighing heavily, he steps into the room and leans on the doorframe; impatience is written all over him. Crossing his arms over his chest and crossing one leg over the other, he attempts to appear relaxed.

"What's the holdup? You've been telling me her labs are great. Were you lying? I mean how long can it really take to look those back over and sign a little piece of paper?"

"Damon. Stop. I was not lying. I am just double checking all of her tests to make sure it's absolutely safe for you to take her home. Something just isn't setting right with me, and I don't want you to get home to have to bring her right back."

"Yeah. Yeah. Just get to the part where you tell me she's as healthy as a horse and I can take her back home with me." His brow forms a slight crease as he tries to hide his concern.

Giving an exhausted laugh, Meredith Fell rolls her eyes at Damon and signs the paper with a flourish of her pen. Standing, she walks over to him and holds out the signed paper. He reaches to grab it from her but she pulls back so it's just out of his reach.

"Take her home and you take good care of her. I trust you with this. She is very…delicate right now. Something feels a little off to me even though I can't see anything physically wrong with her, so just keep an eye on her. You know where I am if you need me." Finally letting him grab the paper from her, she gives him a small smile. "Take her to the nurses station and sign out, then you're free to go." With that parting note, Dr. Fell walks down the hallway on her way to another patient's room.

Damon looks down at the lab work and test results, not able to make heads or tails of what he's looking at, but seeing nothing that looks alarming, and the doctors signature, a small smile of relief creeps up the edges of his lips. Breathing out heavily, he stands tall and fixes his black jacket, walking off back down the hall towards Elena's room with confidence back in his quick steps.


Elena POV

Tapping her foot restlessly, Elena is perched on the edge of her bed, ready to take off at any moment. Jeremy and Stephan had just left, saying they could see Damon coming back down the hall and they had to get out before he saw them. The guys hadn't really given her much in the way of details about this so-called mission they needed help with.

With only a few seconds to think on her own, before Damon came back in, Elena hastily went over her options. She knows Stephan is right, she can't tell Damon. If she dares to tell him, he won't even let her consider her options. He always means well, all he wants is for her to be safe, she loves that about him, but she has to make her own choice this time. Leaning her head down and running her hands through her hair, she thinks hard. What happened at the school? She really needs to find out what all she is missing.

Jeremy and Stephan said they need her help. Sucking in a long, deep breath, she doesn't feel like she has any other options. A man she loves and her brother need her help, she has to hear them out at least, and do whatever she can for them, right? There is no more time to debate. Damon is outside the room; the door is starting to ease open. Besides, she just made her choice, kind of. She is going to hear them out later, when Damon isn't around. Until then she is going to go home and try to find out more information about what happened at the school.

A look of confusion crosses his face, his brow furrows, and eyes doing a quick sweep of the room. He holds up a worn black leather duffle bag, extending it towards Elena.

"I've had these clothes here for you." His eyes look around the room once more and back towards to hallway as he slowly shuts the door with his boot. "The nurse said she heard you talking in here, who were you talking to?"

Panic clutches at Elena chest. She is caught. Her eyes widen, she is sure she looks like a deer in the headlights. Guilt is oozing out of her pores, she can't explain who was here. She needs to distract him, draw his attention elsewhere. Racing through her choice of words, her mouth slightly parts as if to say something, before closing again as her eyes lock on the duffle.

Reaching behind her back, Elena grabs hold of the tie holding her hospital gown together. She pulls, undoing the knot, and rolls her shoulders forward letting the gown slide off of her slight shoulders. The gown slowly slithers down her arms and off her body, gathering in a pile of material at her bare feet.

"I need to change, mind helping me?"

Elena's voice comes out less confident than she was hoping. The words catch in her throat as her heart speeds up; Damon's eyes linger on her body, only panties left covering her.


Damon POV

Shock and excitement course through Damon's entire body as Elena drops the gown. His pale eyes pop open and a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a groan escapes his parted, lips. His gaze glides down, soaking in the details. He looks from where she's softly biting her full bottom lip, down her long neck to the curvature of her perfect breasts, her long dark hair grazes her waist, flat stomach is tense with nerves and he ends by making his way down her long legs.

Looking back up to meet her eyes, Damon strolls across the floor. "Are you trying to distract me, Ms. Gilbert?" His voice is husky as he comes to stand in front of her.

Slowly he puts his arms around her trim waist and drops the duffle bag on the bed behind her. He pulls her against his toned body, his left hand cupping the back of her neck and slowly skimming down her spine, coming to a stop at her lower back.

"No, just stating a fact." She replies shakily.

Lowering his face to the crook of her neck he lightly nuzzles her throat. He drags his lips, trailing one long kiss from her collarbone, up along her jaw and places a light kiss on the side of her mouth. A small sigh escapes her and he grins against her lips. Unzipping the bag behind her back, he manages to blindly find her jacket. Pulling back he slips her arms into the jacket, closing it around her.

"Don't tempt me. I don't like being the good guy Elena. Get dressed so we can get home. If you want to continue there, in private, we can." He whispers into her ear before gently kissing the side of her head.

"So, who were you talking to anyways?"

"Oh…just myself" Elena laughs and blushes.

Half of Damon's face pulls up as he smiles, thinking about how much he missed that sound and her blush while she was gone.

"That's what the nurse said it sounded like. She couldn't really tell. I just had to go get the bag from behind her station." He points across the hall.

"I'll be over there starting to get you signed out. Put some clothes on." He chuckles as he walks out of the door, his sights set on the nurses station.


Elena POV

Letting out a heavy sigh of relief as Damon leaves the room, she can't believe he actually bought it. He didn't even question her answer. Guilt still ate away at her gut, but this is for a good cause, she reasoned with herself. Slipping into a pair of skinny jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and converse, she pulls her jacket back over her shoulders, sliding her hand behind her hair and pulling up to free it from under her jacket. Leaving the room behind, Elena heads over her Damon, a smile on her lips.

Hours later, after leaving the hospital and dealing with other matters, Damon and Elena are lying in bed. He wouldn't have let her stay at her house, even if she would have tried. She is perfectly happy being here though, wrapped in his arms after making up for lost time together. Slowly her eyes begin to droop and she starts to fall asleep, she can already feel Damon breathing deep even breaths against the back of her head.

"I will give you a moment to make your decision. Poor Matt here will suffer the consequences should you not choose to come with me. My patience is wearing thin sweetheart."

A blond, handsome, man with a teasing British accent grips Matt by the back of the neck. His right hand is holding a gun to Matt's temple. They are in the high school library.

"Come on Elena, he's running out of time." The man's lips pull into a tight smile, his eyebrows lift impatiently.

"Klaus, please, let him go. He has nothing to do with this!"

"He has the misfortune of being close to you, love. It's entirely your fault he's here. Your time has gone. Give me your answer."